Two Silvers for a Lost Kitten
by Carishio
Summary: Tormented by a past life of crime and love, Blake Belladonna lives in plain sight as a wanted criminal for her actions involving her time in the White Fang. In a world as dark as Remnant, can Ruby be the one to pull her out of the shadows and show her the lighter side of life, or is she doomed to remember a past that still scars her to this day?
1. Chapter 1: All I Can Do

**Chapter 1: All I Can Do**

" **WHITE FANG ATTACK KILLS 4 AT PROTEST"**

" **FAUNUS RALLY SPILLS BLOOD AFTER SPAT WITH POLICE"**

" **WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE FAUNUS RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND CAN THEY RECOVER FROM THIS PAST WEEK?"**

The worst thing in the world is feeling as if all your hard work was for nothing… and Blake felt as if that was the case.

These were just some of the newspaper headlines in Vale recently that further justified why her leaving the White Fang was all for naught…

Why did she leave the White Fang in the first place? To make sure Faunus gained equal rights the proper way, one that would show humans that Faunus are not just dirty animals that deserve to be tread on, but instead equals that deserve the same treatment as everyone else.

Of course, Blake thought this would be easy.

She simply thought that by leading by example people would follow suit and back her cause, resulting in a peaceful movement that lead to the eventual change in ideology of people. How naive she was back then… After leaving, she soon found out that only a handful of people followed her lead and abandoned the lead of Adam Taurus and Sienna Khan.

However, half of those that left would be killed by Adam's men due to what they knew, and Belladonna could only assume it was a matter of time before the same happened to her, even though she had kept silent about it in order to take on Adam her own way.

This was the issue though… the way Blake wanted to do it was a path she needed to walk alone, but how could she?

In the few months of her attendance at Beacon, she had created bonds with people she didn't think would ever be created, and friends that would last a lifetime. She had even developed a small crush on someone, and just seeing her everyday was enough to bring a small smile to her face.

But seeing news like this consistently was making that smile turn to a frown, the small optimism that existed inside of her turn to doubt and frustration.

Now in the middle of history class, she could barely focus on taking the notes on the board, and instead was scribbling away on her notebook pictures of Adam and his weapon, Wilt and Blush. She never did get to finish this back at the cafeteria thanks to that food fight they had…

Now that Blake thought about it, that was the last good memory she had as of late, and that was upsetting to her as well…

Why was she wasting her time on something so stupid when she could be out there making a difference! More anger filled her body as the bell rang to signal the end of class.

During class, the other members of her team, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, had sit on opposite ends of the classroom, with Blake sitting in the middle. It had become sort of a tradition to go reconvene with their Faunus teammate in the middle to walk to lunch together right after.

Everyone seemed to be in a good mood for now, but Blake was far from it.

"That lesson was soooooo _boring_! At least we have lunch now!" Yang Xiao Long sighed, the team's blonde brawler, "I heard they're serving fried chicken today though, so that's a plus," she said with a toothy smile, both hands behind her head with her fingers flowing through her long blonde locks.

"I have to agree with you Yang. Today's lesson was unusually bland, and that is saying something considering our professor, Dr. Oobleck," Weiss Schnee stated, the heiress of the team, as she held her books close to her chest.

"It doesn't matter now," Ruby Rose waved off, the silver eyed reaper dismissing the class to keep it behind them, "We have lunch and I'm hungry!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, her optimism beaming off of her.

Normally, the reaper's optimistic personality rubbed off on anyone in need of it and brings their mood up to her level, but Blake was unable to capture it and hold onto it. Ruby sat down on the bench next to Blake and gave her a nice smile to see if she was as happy as the rest of them.

"What are you going to get for lunch Blake? Maybe they'll have that tuna salad you love!" she said with a giggle.

Blake growled and clenched the paper she was drawing on, ripping it out and crumpling it up before throwing it to her side, past Ruby.

"I'm not hungry. I'm going back to the dorm," the cat Faunus said with a sharp tone in her voice, grabbing her books and storming out of the room.

All three of them were initially surprised, but after a couple of seconds the shock faded away, and a loud, audible sigh escaped from Yang's lips.

"Man, she just hasn't been in a good mood at all recently… I wonder what's got her upset…" the blonde said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, Blake knows that she can talk to us about anything, but this has always been her coping mechanism… Hopefully she'll find answers on her own…" Weiss said with a sigh of her own, turning with Yang toward the exit of the classroom to head toward the cafeteria.

While they did that however, Ruby had made her way toward the paper that Blake had thrown, slowly bending down and picking it up. She uncrumpled it and raised an eyebrow when she saw drawings of a man on it…

It showed his back as he looked over his right shoulder, wearing a mask and having something in his hair that made him resemble a bull. To the left of that doodle was a flower that looked like a rose, and under that was of a katana and sheath, a rare model that Ruby had admired for quite some time.

These doodles were amazing, but for some reason they made her friend upset and angry. Was this the source of her recent anger and why she was distancing herself once more?

While she was lost in her own world of investigation, Yang was tapping on her shoulder and calling her name.

"Hey! Ruby! You okay?" Yang asked with a confused look on her face.

Ruby quickly turned her head up and shook it to snap out of her daydreams. She looked back over her shoulder at Yang, bringing the paper close to her chest and nodding her head in agreement.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay! But I'm going to go back to the dorm quickly… I forgot something important there," Ruby said with a small smile, "Go on without me okay?"

At first, the blonde was skeptical of what her sister needed from the dorm, especially after seeing Blake storm out in a fit of rage to go there. But instead of pressing it further, Yang simply shrugged her shoulders and walked back toward Weiss.

"Alright, but you better get there soon! They'll run out if you don't catch up quick enough! Come on Weiss, I wanna make sure I get the best of the batch right out of the fryer!" Yang said with a smile as she grabbed her teammate by the arm, dragging her off to the left of the exit, much to the heiress's dismay.

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at her older sister's antics, but that wasn't her concern right now.

She took one more look at the drawing and folded it up, pocketing it in her side pocket before heading toward the exit. Ruby was going the opposite way back to their dorm, where hopefully Blake would be there and ready to talk…

* * *

Team RWBY's dorm room door swung open, and as quickly as it was it was slammed shut by Blake. Both her arms pressed against the door as she leaned up against it, panting angrily as she looked down at the floor.

After about a minute, she pushed away, making her way over to her bed and grabbing her pillow. Blake sat down with her back against the bed frame and burying her face into it.

Her hands clenched the side of the pillow angrily as she let out an enraged scream into it. At this point, her frustration had reached an all time high, her thoughts on nothing else but everything she had went through just to get to this point.

All of the training and straining of relationships she had done, and it had all been for nothing…

Blake had abandoned both of her parents for a cause she believed was right, only for her to leave that one to fight for one that was failing…

It was a constant string of running away from problems when they got bad, and now she was even considering leaving here…

What purpose did she serve here? She was never going to be able to do this on her own…

Blake had basically failed, and there was no sign of change in the near future. As much as she loved her friends here, they all had their own goals and dreams they wanted to achieve… they wouldn't help her with her own fight, and she didn't expect them to.

However, her rampant thoughts slowed when she heard the dorm room door creek open slightly and heard the footsteps of someone make their way inside, causing her to look up and see her leader standing right at the door.

"Hey Blake… Are you feeling okay? You've been pretty upset recently a-and as your leader I want to make sure you're okay…" Ruby said in a gentle but shaky tone. She had never been in a situation like this, and giving a talk that was this heavy seemed weird to her.

Blake muffled an aggravated growl and turned her head away, not wanting to answer the question.

Ruby could only rub the back of her head as she looked down at her feet. She stayed silent for a few seconds before pulling the paper Blake threw earlier out from her pocket, unfolding it and showing it to her teammate.

"I found this! I-It's really well done Blake… the detail is-"

"Throw that away." Blake said in a commanding tone, visibly angry at what she showed. The tone only confused Ruby, causing the reaper to scratch her head.

"B-But Blake it's a go-"

"THROW IT AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT!" Blake shouted angrily, small traces of tears forming in her eyes as she looked toward Ruby, her chest heaving and her hands clasping onto the sides of the bed now.

The reaper was shocked and jumped back a bit, holding onto the paper tightly as it crumpled even more in her hands. Ruby looked down and slowly pocketed the drawing again. She would throw it out once they came upon a garbage can, but… she had a feeling this problem was a lot deeper.

"Blake… what's going on… Talk to me, please…" she asked in a confused and tender voice, slowly approaching the bed her teammate was sitting on.

Blake turned her head again, wiping her eyes clear of the tears that had begun forming. "I don't want to talk Ruby… J-Just go get lunch… I'm only holding you back here…" the cat Faunus said shakily, sniffling a bit.

"But I want to help… Let me understand why you're so angry… Please…" the reaper asked before sitting down at the opposite end of the bed, looking at Blake with great concern and sorrow in her eyes.

For a few minutes, a stifled silence filled the room and a weird tension began to form. Ruby had never been in a situation like this before, and the tension began making her feel uncomfortable.

She wasn't going to leave until she knew Blake was okay… Her lunch could wait. She wouldn't even be able to eat if she knew her teammate was hurting, especially if she couldn't even help fix the problem.

After what felt like forever, Blake took a deep breath and looked toward her leader. She couldn't blame the reaper for wanting to help her… It was in her nature and she knew it… It was one of the reasons Blake found herself developing feelings for Ruby, and it was a trait she hoped stayed with her leader for the rest of her life…

"Ruby… That man on the paper… His name is Adam Taurus… H-He used to be my boyfriend when I was in the White Fang…" the cat faunus said in a shaky tone of voice, the tears in her eyes slowly forming once more.

Ruby's silver orbs widened at the statement, but she held back her shock to respond calmly.

"Oh… S-So did you draw him because you still have feelings for him…?" the reaper questioned, still confused at the situation as a whole.

"No! I hate him!" She snapped back angrily, her golden eyes glaring at Ruby after her statement.

Blake took a deep breath after that to calm herself down. It wasn't fair of her to be angry with the reaper… she was only trying to help.

"H-he… He wasn't the person I thought he was…" Blake said in a much calmer voice, looking down at her lap to reflect a bit on her past with the bull.

Ruby stayed quiet on her end. She was here to listen and help, even if that was all she could do here. From what she could tell, her partner needed to rant and let out her emotions, so she was going to let her do exactly that.

A conversation like this wasn't what Blake wanted… she didn't want to open up about her past and talk about _him_ , but for some reason she felt okay discussing it with Ruby. Her feelings for her shouldn't have changed her, but she did feel safe about having this deep conversation with her still innocent leader.

"Back on Menagerie where I'm from, the White Fang is considered good… They don't wear masks like they do here in Vale, and people look up to them… As a child, I grew up around them and their teachings… I met a lot of people that I became very close with, and one of them was Adam…"

Blake clenched her fists at just the mentioning of that name. Ruby could only nod her head slightly and continue listening to what she had to say.

"I read a lot when I was younger… a-and I didn't have an easy time making friends because of it… I was an introvert and still am… I don't like talking with people… But when I met Adam it changed me… I wanted to be around him and learn more from him… He was strong and brilliant, and he said all of these things about what he wanted to do to help our cause, about how he was going to make people give us the rights we deserved, and how he was going to fight against discrimination with force… It sounded amazing, but when I told my mom and dad, they didn't think the same thing… that led to many fights between us… Then came the day they promoted Adam to a general…"

Blake stated that last part in a weaker tone of voice, a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks.

"When he was promoted, I was so happy for him… They assigned him to Vale, and he wanted me to come along and fight by his side… I was ecstatic and of course couldn't wait to tell my mom and dad… When I did, they weren't happy, and it caused a huge fight… My father said that Adam was a terrible influence on me, while my mother said that he had a toxic view of Faunus rights… Both warned me that he was going to lead me down a dangerous path, and I didn't listen to either one of them at all… Ultimately, they let me leave to go with him, and I did so on terrible terms… When we left the port that day I felt horrible for how I left them, and I still regret the way I ended things off.. But Adam told me I was doing the right thing… He told me that he would take care of me and make sure nothing happened to me… Told me he loved me…"

The cat faunus said, sniffling as more tears streamed down her cheeks and hit her white bed sheets. For a few moments, the girl could only pause. Her words were losing themselves in her pained throat before she finally took a few deep breaths and managed to continue, finding that grip she needed to compose herself. Blake took a few deep breaths before she continued speaking.

"When we arrived in Vale, we became a lot closer to each other… we fought alongside each other and I slowly began falling for him… I did everything I possibly could to make him happy and help our cause… But over time he began changing… He did terrible things, hurting innocent people and killing those who opposed him… Adam was turning into a monster right before my eyes, and all I could do was watch… Eventually, I began questioning his actions and voicing my own opinions… W-When I did, h-he would do terrible things to me… H-He would slap me, g-grab me by the hair… J-Just beat me in general… I-I was scared… S-S-So scared… T-There are scars on my back from him, and sometimes I-I can still feel the pain of each one I got, constantly serving as a reminder of my mistakes… Something I-I can never fix…"

Slowly, Blake was starting to break down completely, struggling to even speak about her abusive past. More tears hit her sheets as she cleared her eyes with the back of her hand

"One day, we had a mission that involved raiding an SDC train transporting faunus slaves… W-We finished the job, b-but I cut the carts apart and left with the head of the train, officially leaving the White Fang a-and… _him_ … I-I left because I wanted to make a change, b-but I can't even do that… J-Just look at the news and you'll see… The White Fang is still running around a-and I-I'm here doing nothing… I-I got people killed because of what I wanted to do, and my entire cause is failing… I-It's failing miserably!"

At this point, Blake had completely broken down. She had brought her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around them. The cat faunus buried her face into her tucked in knees, sobbing harder than she had during this entire conversation.

Blake began feeling the pain of the scars on her back once more. They ran far deeper than anyone could ever know, the faint reminders dug shallowly across her skin but nobody knew just how far they cut into her heart and soul. She could never forget their sting, that dull emptiness from her past… They were permanent, and there was no way she could ever heal fully from them.

After hearing her friend's story, Ruby came to a harsh but true realization… even though she was young, she understood that she would never truly be able to help Blake…

Ruby couldn't relate to her pain at all… How could she? Her childhood wasn't amazing, but any struggles she might've had were nothing compared to that of her faunus teammate…

But… she learned just how strong Blake was today…

She learned just how capable she was at getting back up and fighting back for a cause she believed in, and it made the reaper so proud to be Blake's friend.

Tears bubbled up in Ruby's eyes as she slowly shook her head. The reaper crawled over to the opposite end of the mattress, moving apart the arms that locked Blake's legs tightly together and opened them up. Her hand then gently lifted the chin of her teammate up, her silver eyes willing themselves to stare into the cat faunus' glassy golden gaze.

"T-That's where you're wrong Blake… I-I can never say I can relate to your pain… B-But look at what you've gone through to get here… You managed to fight past a dispute with your parents… a really bad relationship… everything… and you're still standing… A-And think about what you gained because you never gave up! You have Weiss… Yang… me… a-and everyone else here!"

Ruby was smiling brightly through the sorrow she felt for Blake, her own tears streaming down her cheeks and hitting the bed sheets now.

The cat faunus was still in tears, but she was slowly coming back to her own and regaining the composure she lost a few minutes ago. Just watching Ruby do everything she could to hold back from breaking down after hearing her story was enough to make her find it in herself to stop crying, the girl slowly realizing this was all just to make _her_ feel better…

A small smile crept over Blake's face, her mouth opening to begin thanking Ruby for what she did.

However, her smile was quickly replaced with shock and a small blush after she felt the reaper's arms wrap around her waist to hug her.

Blake froze and kept her arms out to the side, unsure of how to handle this tender affection being given to her.

"Blake… I-I need you to promise me something…" the reaper said as she looked up at her teammate, still hugging her tenderly.

"P-Promise me… T-That no matter what… Y-You'll never lose sight of the bright future t-that's ahead of you… T-That no matter what happens t-to you… our team… or the world in general… you will keep moving forward like you have before… A-And I promise you that I-I'll move forward with you as well… D-Deal?"

Ruby was still teary eyed, but the same smile from before was painted across her face. It was emitting a warmth that soon entered Blake's body, and for the first time in a long time… she actually felt loved and wanted...

Slowly, the cat faunus figured out what to do with her arms and hands, as her left arm wrapped around Ruby's back and her right arm around her head, bringing her close to her chest to hold Ruby tightly. Blake was visibly shaking and crying, slowly nodding her head in agreement to the deal the reaper had proposed.

"N-Never change Ruby… P-Please… n-never change…"

Blake had again broken down, but this time it was in the best way possible… Her voice was almost inaudible when she spoke, but she made sure to speak loud enough so the reaper could hear.

Normally, Ruby was the one that was showing the affection through hugs that made people uncomfortable as well as other displays. Aside from Yang and other members of her small family, nobody else had returned the affection so happily.

When Blake returned her hug greater than she had started out, it was enough to make the reaper blush a shade of red as dark as her hood and cape. At first it felt weird coming from her, but then she heard what her teammate said, and that was what changed it from awkward to heartwarming.

She readjusted herself in Blake's arms and began rubbing her back gently. A fuzzy feeling entered Ruby's body as they hugged, but the reaper wouldn't question it and instead accepted it completely.

This was a conversation that the two would later on promise would stay between them, but that pesky door was still open, and through the small crack that opened up, a lilac eye could be seen peeking from the hallway on the tail end of Ruby's speech, watching the two hug it out.

"So are they in there? What's going on? I can't see from where I am," Weiss questioned in a soft tone in order to make sure Ruby and Blake wouldn't be able to hear them if they were inside.

A small smile came across Yang's face as her chest began to hurt in a way unparalleled to most feelings of joy.

She felt an overwhelming sense of pride in Ruby right now, enough that it brought a small tear to her eye. Not only that, from what she saw the blonde could tell that there was something else going on here, and it would give her much to discuss with Blake later.

Yang moved away from the door and wiped her eye with the side of her hand, turning back toward the heiress and nodding her head.

"Yeah… let's go back and wait for them in the cafeteria, okay? I don't want them to know we were here." she said with a smile, walking past Weiss and back down the hall.

The heiress was still very much confused, so she turned back to the door for a moment before jogging back to catch up with Yang

"So what exactly happened in there? I couldn't exactly hear from my spot either." Weiss asked as she finally caught up to her blonde friend.

Yang chuckled a bit and continued walking, giving her a bright smile as she looked down at her shorter teammate.

"Ruby was being Ruby…" she exclaimed with that same smile as before

Weiss noted how happy Yang was, and she assumed something good had happened. However, that statement didn't really answer her question.

"Okay, but what really happened Yang? I want details not a mystery!" the heiress demanded, her feet stomping a bit out of frustration from her blonde friend not being straightforward.

Yang quickly began laughing and smiled once more at Weiss. "Cool it Ice Queen, I'll tell you when we get back to the cafeteria, fair?"

Weiss sighed and begrudgingly agreed, heading back toward the lunchroom to Yang's left side.

Meanwhile, both Blake and Ruby were still hugging in the dorm room, as the cat faunus ran her hand through Ruby's smooth hair, keeping her close as the two rested against the bed frame.

" _Thank you Ruby… You truly know how to shine brightly in a dark world like this one…"_ Blake thought to herself.

At this point, she had kept her here long enough, and the reaper was probably starving at this point. The cat faunus was through crying, so she wiped her eyes clean and looked down at her teammate with a gentle smile.

"N-Now… Do you want to go get lunch? You're probably famished at this point."

Hearing Blake's voice, Ruby looked up at her and returned the smile, wiping a few tears of her own away before pulling back from her teammate.

"Y-Yeah… let's go…"

They slowly got up from the bed at the same time, grabbing their school bags which the reaper had left by the door and her teammate by the foot of her bed. With their bags in hand, Blake exited the room first, Ruby following suit shortly after.

However, when the door closed behind the cat faunus, she quickly froze in her tracks, forgetting one small thing.

The reaper reached into her pocket and pulled out Blake's doodles, looking down at them with a small smile. As beautiful as they were, there was no need for them anymore.

She exited their room and activated her semblance, using her speed to dash down the end of the hallway and leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. At the end of the hall, Ruby quickly found a garbage can suitable for throwing out the drawings and did away with them.

The road to moving on from her past was going to be long, but Ruby would do anything to help Blake. As her team leader and close friend, she cared for the cat faunus' well being and wanted to see Blake at her happiest all the time.

The reaper looked at the doodles one last time before crumpling them up in ball, dropping it in the waste bin and using her semblance to dash back toward Blake's side. Ruby had used some aura for this, but it really was worth it in the long run. She gave her teammate a toothy and gleeful smile.

"Ready!" she exclaimed happily. A small giggle escaped Blake's lips as she turned her back toward the dorm, walking back to the cafeteria with Ruby happily skipping next to her.

The rest of that day flew by a lot quicker, and Blake couldn't remember getting angry after their talk, enjoying the time she spent with her teammates and friends.

Her happiness was on full display thanks to Ruby and her efforts at trying to help.

She made the cat faunus feel welcomed and loved once again, and got the gears turning in her head to start moving on from her past to a better tomorrow.

Blake was definitely going to have to repay the reaper back somehow...

* * *

 **Hello readers! First off, I'd like to take a moment to thank you all for reading the first chapter of "Two Silvers for a Lost Kitten"! This is my first work on here, and I had a blast writing it and am really excited to write more! I would love to thank roman-dax and relatablepicsofblakebelladonna for giving me a wonderful headcanon to start out with as well! It's honestly one of the best ones I've seen for Ladybug, and it was fun putting it into a story! See you all soon for chapter two!**

 **All characters and places belong to RoosterTeeth.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Fair Trade

**Chapter 2: A Fair Trade**

"Now Ruby, I want you to explain to me some of the failed attempts to launch a rocket powered by Dust out of our atmosphere."

"Ummmm… There was the Artemis mission 20 years ago…"

"Why did the mission ultimately fail?"

"Because… We didn't have the proper technology?"

"No! Dust cannot be used outside our atmosphere! Nobody knows why, but it's most likely due to the fact that it does not handle being in a high pressure environment well."

"... A what?"

"Ruby have you been paying attention at all?!"

Today was the day before an exam in Professor Peach's class that concerned the many uses Dust had on and off of the battle field.

The unit itself seemed very simple and straightforward, as for most of Team RWBY they didn't seem to have a problem grasping the topics being taught.

However, the same could not be said about their leader Ruby Rose.

As much of a nerd the silver eyed huntress in training could be when it came to class, this unit in Professor Peach's was very laboring on her for some reason.

Having the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company should've helped her immensely in her studies, but Ruby just seemed unable to grasp certain concepts that looked so basic to the rest of them.

She was a top student as well, and the thought of flunking a test as easy as this one frightened her.

So, it was decided that the day before the exam, when Ruby was done with her classes, Blake, Weiss, and Yang were going to help their leader study to make sure she passed that upcoming test alongside the rest of them.

It was about the middle of the day at this point, and the three of them had been hard at work when it came to cracking open the books, with Weiss taking the lead for most of the study session.

Needless to say, it was going about as well as it could've…

When it came to teaching, the heiress wasn't exactly great at it. She gave tough love and was very strict, and from a distance Blake could clearly see Ruby wasn't adjusting well to that style.

For about half an hour, progress had been halted due to the constant bickering of the two. Ruby had gotten stuck on the topic of how dust could be woven into clothing and for what purpose someone would do that along with how dust was used in a scientific matter, including failed attempts in space travel. Weiss had given very complex and detailed explanations for both issues, which only confused her even more.

Blake, who was lying back on her bed and had remained quiet for most of the time, cleared her throat in order to catch both of their attentions. She had grown quite sick of the two arguing for as long as they had.

"I need to go to the library to pick up a book for myself. While I'm there, are there any books you'd need to help Ruby learn?" Blake stated in a calm tone to try and ease out the mood in the room.

"You would do that for me? Blake you're the best!" Ruby exclaimed happily, a bright smile finally showing after all this time with Weiss.

"I don't see why she needs books. I'm doing a perfectly fine job of teaching the material." Weiss scoffed. "It's not my fault that my student is acting like a complete dunce at the moment."

"Weiss you're such a meanie!" Ruby retorted back, tears bubbling up in her eyes as she spoke.

"Well excuse me for speaking the truth! You're not focusing hard enough on your notes!" Weiss replied, anger and frustration in her voice.

While the two continued arguing with one another, Blake quickly slipped out of the room and sped her pace up to the library. She really needed to get as far away from that dorm room as possible right now…

It didn't take her very long to arrive at her destination, and when the cat faunus opened the wooden doors, she was met with a beautiful sound that she treasured so deeply in this place: silence.

Peace, quiet, and solitude was what Blake always prefered. She wasn't much of a socialite, and much rather desired to spend her days in the dorm room or out on the school grounds reading a nice book.

This was why she loved the library so much.

The atmosphere in the place suited her so perfectly, as you could hear a pin drop on carpet within the friendly confines of these beige colored walls, with windows lining up all across them and allowing a beautiful natural light to hit against the mahogany tables and chairs.

Many books decorated the shelves of the library, genres being assorted in rows and floors, books being arranged in alphabetical order by author. If it was a series of novels, they would be arranged in numerical order to not confuse anyone and make it more accessible for someone to pick up.

Blake knew this well, mainly due to the fact that it was almost like she was a permanent resident in the library.

She knew the name of the woman who was in charge of the front desk, Miss Juniper was her name. Every so often when she wasn't busy getting students to quiet down or checking up on inventory, the two would discuss the latest novels to come out from their favorite authors.

Blake even had a favorite spot to read in as well.

On the second floor on the far left hand side of the library, a small, circular table with three chairs sat proudly, with one chair facing its back to the window. That was her favorite location, since the lighting from the sun hit the pages of her books perfectly and allowed for what she considered the perfect reading conditions.

Normally, on a beautiful day such as this one, Blake would've loved to have brought a couple of books from her dorm and relaxed in her spot to catch up on some reading.

However, that would not be the case today.

Today she was here to help her friend out, and while she longed to go over toward her spot and read on a perfect day such as today, Blake knew what she was doing was the right thing. So to help figure out what she needed, she walked over toward the front desk to visit her old friend and get her expertise.

When Blake arrived at the desk, Miss Juniper looked up from her computer and smiled once she saw who was here.

"Why hello Blake! It's a pleasant surprise to see you here! What can I help you with?" The librarian asked in a warm, helpful tone.

"I need to check out a couple of books about dust and its usages. My friend is having a bit of trouble studying for test we have tomorrow." Blake replied with a small smile across her face.

Miss Juniper leaned over across the desk and pointed toward the stairway that lead to the second floor.

"Go up those steps and make a right. If you go down three isles past the aura section, you should find everything you need there."She answered happily.

Blake nodded her head and thanked Miss Juniper, heading up the stairs with a little pep in her step. They were working on a limited window of time, and she wanted to make sure Ruby had a nice study session in before the exam.

When she arrived on the second floor, Blake checked every row to make sure she didn't pass the one she was searching for.

Just like the librarian had said, the fourth isle had a sign on one of the shelves labeled "Dust" in a bold, white font.

As Blake walked down the Dust isle, her hand gently skimmed across the spine of every color coated book, carefully inspecting the title of each one to see if they could use it.

After a couple of minutes, Blake had picked out two books. Both of them were fairly skinny and went over the basics of dust. She felt Ruby would have an easier time reading these than some of the ones she normally would've chosen.

Keeping her eyes peeled, she found one last book that she wanted to check out, feeling that it would also be beneficial for Ruby.

Blake placed her hand on top of it and slid it out of the shelf. However, when the book came out a lilac eye was now noticeably visible, with a couple of strands of blonde hair poking through as well.

"Hey there kitty kat!"

Blake yelped quietly and quickly fell back onto the floor, gripping onto the books in her arms tightly and holding them close to her chest.

Before she had any time to realize what had just happened, a hand was stuck out directly in front of her, and when she followed it upward to see the source, Blake was met with a nice toothy smile from her blonde friend Yang Xiao Long.

Her golden eyes gave Yang a soul-piercing glare before taking her hand, pulling herself up from the ground and gently brushing herself off with a free hand.

"You know I don't like jump scares Yang." Blake growled as she tried to regain her composure, a few hairs frizzing out slightly and her black bow gently drooping due to her faunus features.

"It's all in good fun! I saw you walk in here all by yourself, so I thought I would surprise you!" Yang replied back happily, giggling slightly as she fixed Blake's hair with the back of her hand.

"I could've went without the scare… What are you doing here? Don't you have class?" Blake questioned with a small tone of disapproval in her voice. If Yang was cutting class again, she was definitely not going to be happy…

"I'm not cutting if that's what you're thinking! I have a ten minute break until my next class, so I was taking a stroll through the campus when I spotted you walk in here!" Yang answered, checking the books that were in Blake's arms before making a small frown.

"I guess the studying isn't going too well huh?" The blonde asked, rubbing the back of her head and running a few fingers through her hair.

Blake sighed and nodded her head.

"It's going as well as we thought it would. Weiss is being Weiss and Ruby is trying her best to deal with her antics. We both know how well that turns out in the end." She said with a small smile.

Yang chuckled before grabbing one of the books from the shelf, quickly skimming through the pages with her finger.

"So you came here to pick up some books for her to help her study. That's so sweet of you Blake!" Yang teased, gently nudging her partner's shoulder.

A faint blush grew across her cheeks, not very visible but Blake could tell her face was heating up a bit.

"It's nothing really. I have to study as well, so I thought I would pick up stuff for her as well while I was out." Blake replied in almost a defensive tone.

Hearing this, a sly smirk grew across Yang's face. Now would be the time to maybe get some answers she craved.

"You know, you've been spending more time with Rubes. She's been enjoying your company, and you seem to be having fun too. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but is there any reason to it?" Yang asked.

Blake turned her back on her partner and headed back down the isle toward where she came, with the blonde following right behind her.

"I guess we've just had some long, overdue bonding. I don't always have to spend time with you Yang. Jealousy doesn't suit you well you know." Blake retorted back, a smirk of her own growing across her face as she turned back onto the main path on the floor.

"I'm not jealous Blake! I just want to know if the reason you're spending all that time with her is because of that little moment you two shared in the dorm."

Blake immediately froze up, her smirk quickly dissolving and turning into a look of shock. Both of them swore that they wouldn't tell anyone, so how did Yang know about it? The only explanation was that she must've been eavesdropping in, which she certainly didn't appreciate.

"How much did you hear?" She questioned. Her tone had shifted from confident to defensive, and traces of anger could be heard as well.

"Only the last part of Ruby's little speech. I thought what she said was very sweet, and your reaction to it was just adorable!" Yang laughed, causing Blake to growl.

"Shut up! It was just the heat of the moment!" She replied, her face flustered a darker shade of red.

Yang noted that and gave her partner another smile before speaking again.

"Your face says otherwise Blakey! There's nothing to be embarrassed about right? Unless… maybe it wasn't the heat of the moment?" She questioned with another small grin.

Blake was caught dead in the water at this point. Yang clearly knew her little secret, and lying would only result in more teasing until she did confess. She hoped to keep these feelings hidden for a little while longer, but her arm was being twisted and she didn't have a choice anymore.

Blake took a deep breath to calm herself down, hoping that her blush would soon fade away.

"Alright… I might have a small crush on Ruby… There? That better?" The cat faunus growled, turning her red face away from Yang and looking down at the floor, rubbing her left arm gently with her books tucked against her side.

Yang smiled and walked over toward Blake, gently wrapping her arm around her shoulders and bringing her close. She offered her a warm smile in exchange, showing her that it was okay to talk about these feelings.

"A lot better… I think it's sweet that you have a crush on my baby sister." She said in a gentle tone, still smiling brightly.

Blake sighed and practiced her breathing, slowing it down in order to calm her somewhat racing heart and nerves.

"Let me give you a piece of advice Blake, and I know it's going to sound very obvious, but I promise that it will help. Ask Ruby about herself. Get to know her better. She'd love to tell you about who she is. She's always been the type of person that loves to get to know her friends better and vice versa. Make sense?"

Blake slowly nodded her head before bringing the books she had back into her chest.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. That is the basis of any relationship really…" She said in a much more confident tone of voice, her smile slowly coming back.

"There we go! You already sound more confident and happy!" Yang said happily.

She looked up straight ahead at the clock on the wall, only to see that she had five minutes left to get to her class on time.

"I gotta go to my next class, and I'm sure I've kept you here a bit longer than you wanted to stay. But seriously Blake, just have a chat with her. I think it would make Ruby very happy." She stated with a smile before gently hugging her partner.

Blake smiled and wrapped her arms around the blonde, returning the hug back as well.

"Thank you Yang. I really appreciate the help." She said, her voice filled with confidence and relief.

Yang pulled away and dashed down the main isle toward the stairs, hurrying to get to her next class. Before she made her descent down, she stopped at the top step and looked at Blake once more.

"Oh yeah! Stop by the school cafe on the way back and buy her some chocolate chip cookies! Not only will she love it, but she probably needs them after spending all that time with the Ice Queen!" Yang exclaimed with a loud whisper, snickering at her comment.

"Yang! Keep it down!" Blake hissed back at her teammate, a blush of embarrassment now coating her cheeks.

Not only did she hate when people were loud in the library, but she was practically telling everyone her feelings for Ruby!

"Oh Right! Sorry!" Yang whispered back, a lot quieter than when she spoke before.

Before running down the stairs to get to class, she gave Blake two thumbs up and another toothy smile before dashing off.

Blake took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before going downstairs to get the books she chose checked out by Miss Juniper. She was already running behind, so she fast walked over toward the front desk.

Small talk was not Blake's forte, but she was going to be doing it with someone she had known for a while now. It shouldn't be too difficult right?

Besides, she was going to have cookies for Ruby as well, so if anything this chat should go smoothly.

Yang's advice was really helpful, but now it all lied on Blake to follow through and do what she knew would strengthen her relationship with her silver eyed leader…

* * *

"We already went over this! The dust is compacted down and woven in alongside the threads! It reacts with a person's aura to make it glow those fancy colors you keep talking about!"

"But dust is volatile! How can anyone do that? What, could I take a dust crystal and smash it to pieces right now and then sew it into my clothes?"

"Ruby you dolt that isn't how it works! There are special machines for this! How many times do I have to say it?"

Yelling like this could be heard just outside of Team RWBY's dorm, as the voices of Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose practically echoed outside and reverberated through the halls of the dormitories.

A few innocent bystanders who were just passing by sped up their pace once they crossed paths with their door, trying to get away from the argument that was ensuing as fast as possible.

However, for Blake this was normal behavior for the two of them, as even though Ruby and Weiss had a bond as strong as steel, they still fought like cats and dogs…

She slipped her way past one of the people who seemed like they were in a hurry to escape from the area and opened the door slowly, peeking her head in to see what the two were fighting about now.

"The machines compacts the crystal down and contains the effects of it so it can be turned into dust without it being to volatile. It should not be this hard to comprehend Ruby." Weiss scoffed, directing Ruby's focus toward the part of her notes that discussed this topic.

"But then how do the effects of the dust work when in its powdered form if they were contained when smashing the crystal?" Ruby asked curiously, scratching her head and still completely baffled by what she was reading.

Weiss growled and clenched her fist tightly, taking deep breaths to calm herself down before she heard the room to their dorm close. It caused both her and Ruby to look up and notice Blake walk in with the books she promised to pick up.

'BLAKE!" Ruby exclaimed happily before springing out of her seat.

She activated her semblance and bolted over towards Blake's side, hugging her tightly around the waist and leaving a flurry of rose petals behind her.

"Hi!" She giggled before tightening the hug.

Blake was caught off guard by the sudden display of affection, blushing slightly before wrapping one arm around Ruby and patting her back.

"Hey Ruby. I got the books you nee-"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

A loud voice boomed from in front of the two of them, as both quickly looked toward the source to find Weiss standing there with her arms crossed and a vein almost popping out of her forehead.

"I spent the last hour with her trying to get her to study and understand the material, and all she would do was argue them back with me! I expected that you would be back here soon, but I can see you went to grab a snack for yourself instead!" Weiss snapped at Blake, pointing at the bag of cookies from the school cafe and tapping your foot impatiently.

"Since you were so bent on taking a snack break, I'm going to go do the same since I haven't eaten all day! You can help her study instead and deal with my frustration!"

With that, the heiress stormed out of their dorm room and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Blake and Ruby alone once again.

"Don't mind her Blake! Weiss is just being a meanie and cranky right now because she's a bad teacher!" Ruby said before sticking her tongue out at the door.

Blake was not surprised at the frustration Weiss was displaying. For the most part she was the one doing most of the work since she came from the family famous for dust after all.

However, it still wasn't the best idea to have her take the lead for so long…

That was about to change, as now Blake was going to take the lead and make sure Ruby was prepared for her ex-

"Are those double chocolate chip cookies I smell?"

Blake's train of thought was cut short by her leader, who was currently sniffing around her books at the bag on top of them, eyeing the cookies she purchased with hunger in her eyes.

"Oh… yeah I bought them when I went out. I thought you could use a snack while you were studying… You've been in here for so long and I knew you'd be hungry."

Before Blake could even realize it, the bag of cookies were in Ruby's hands, and she quickly began munching on them with the happiest look on her face.

"Thank you Blake!" Ruby said happily, her mouth full of cookies as a few crumbs flew out of her mouth.

Watching her devour the cookies like a man who had went hungry for days, the cat faunus couldn't help but giggle a bit at her leader's antics. The happiness that radiated off of Ruby was contagious, as Blake had a pleasant smile growing across her cheeks.

"Why don't we take a small break before we resume studying? I'm sure you could use one after all that time with Weiss." Blake suggested, fixing the hair in front of her face to move away some stray hairs.

Ruby quickly nodded in agreement and sat down on Blake's bed, shoveling more of the baked goods into her mouth.

"Mhm! Weiss was the worst! She wouldn't let me rest at all! And all she did was yell at me!" She said with a small frown, hints of anger and sorrow in her tone.

Blake nodded and sat down next to Ruby, watching her eat. Yang was right when she said that Ruby was going to need a break, as even though her bubbly personality was still as poignant as ever, she seemed exhausted from the hard work she put in.

Speaking of Yang though, her advice rang in Blake's mind now, and with the two of them alone and relaxing, now would be the perfect opportunity to make some small talk.

Blake took a minute to compose herself before breaking the silence.

"When I was walking to the library, I was thinking about how I don't know much about you Ruby… We've been teammates all this time, and yet I feel as if I don't know you well enough… Would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?" She questioned. Her left leg was tucked into her chest, and her arms wrapped around it and kept it close to her chest. Her gaze was currently at the floor as she waited for a response.

Ruby's eyes widened when she heard the request, mainly because she didn't expect Blake to ask something like that. However, she was more than happy to oblige!

"Of course Blake! I'd love to tell you more about me!" She exclaimed happily.

Ruby brought her hand to her head and started scratching it, thinking about what exactly to discuss with Blake.

Then, the perfect idea hit her.

"Well… Since during our last talk you told me about your childhood, why don't I tell you about mine! A childhood for a childhood! I think that's a fair trade right?" Ruby asked with a smile, looking into Blake's golden eyes gleefully.

Blake was a little thrown off by this proposal. What she shared with Ruby was a very personal conversation, and she never really considered that she would want to discuss her own. She thought Ruby would talk more about her hobbies or things she didn't like, but this could also work…

"Alright. If you're comfortable with sharing, then I'll gladly listen." Blake said, returning a small smile back to Ruby.

She nodded her head in agreement and immediately began thinking about where to start this conversation off.

Ruby lied her body back on the mattress and looked up at the top bunk before speaking.

"Well… I guess the best place to start out would be my family! You know Yang, but I never told you about my mom or dad, or even Uncle Qrow!"

She was right. Blake had never heard about any of them until now. From the sound of it, Ruby seemed to love them deeply based off the passion in her voice when she talked about them, so she assumed that her childhood must've been incredible.

"My dad's name is Taiyang Xiao Long, and my mother"s name is Summer Rose. They're both huntsmen and huntresses, and they were even on the same team here at Beacon along with my uncle. Both of them are super cool! My dad taught Yang how to fight and taught me some cool self defense moves, and my uncle taught me how to use a scythe. He even helped me build it at Signal where he teaches."

"And… your mom?"

Ruby froze up for a second, an awkward silence filled the room. She slowly rose up from her position and looked toward Blake with a small frown on her face.

"When I was two, my mom went out on a mission and never came back… I don't remember much of her at all, except the pictures and videos that Yang, my dad and my uncle show me." She said in an almost weak tone. It didn't look like she was on the verge of crying, but her emotions definitely shifted after that.

"Ruby… I'm so sorry to hear that…"

Blake's expression turned somber as she recoiled from Ruby's words. She never would've brought her mother up if she knew all this, and she felt guilt course through her entire body for bringing it up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't be Blake. You didn't know and you were only curious. There were times when it was hard without her, but Yang made sure I was well taken care of… I guess she was like my mother in a way." Ruby stated with a small smile.

"Whenever I got upset about not having her around and missing her, Yang was always the first one to come to my side and help me… Uncle Qrow wasn't around too much because of his job, and my dad wasn't himself for a while, so Yang always watched after me and played with me… We had a lot of fun together, but from what I remember it was mostly just us. I can't think of anyone else who played with us when we were younger."

Blake was surprised to hear this, considering how outgoing both of them were. Did they have trouble making friends when they were younger? Or was it for another reason she was unaware of?

"Eventually me and Yang enrolled in Signal, and while there we sort of grew apart… Yang wanted me to branch out and make new friends, and for her it wasn't difficult. But for me, it wasn't easy… You've seen my obsession with weapons and how crazy it can get, and that was my problem… I was a big nerd when it came to that stuff, and a lot of people were scared by that." Ruby said with a nervous giggle, rubbing the back of her head out of embarrassment.

"I spent most of my free time with Uncle Qrow, helping him grade papers and build weapons, and doing more fun stuff! For the most part I spent my time after school with him as well, but then I made two friends that I still talk with today. Their names are Hope and Laila, and they were the two bestest friends I could've asked for! They loved talking about weapons, building them and doing other fun things with me as well. We shared a lot of common interests, and we basically bonded the second we met."

From what Blake had heard, Ruby did not have an easy childhood. Missing a mother figure must've been extremely difficult on her, and even though Yang did an outstanding job, it was still not the same...

She didn't have many friends aside from Hope and Laila, and most likely Ruby wasn't well received by the other kids at Signal because of her hobbies.

Yet, through everything that Ruby had went through, she always had a smile on her face…

It didn't take long for Blake to realize something very important: this was who Ruby Rose was.

Even throughout all the hardship she faced as a child, she always managed to find the best out of every situation.

Ruby never had her mother around, but that made her so appreciative of everything Yang did. The bond between the two of them showed this appreciation even more. It was one of the first things that Blake noticed when they approached her that first night here at Beacon. It was a cheerful sight to see and was a huge reason why she enjoyed just being around the two.

Then there was the situation of not having many friends. Most kids would've been upset about this and for the most part, it would've gotten to them mentally.

But not Ruby. The way she talked about how Yang and her uncle played with her would make it seem like she had the best childhood ever, and to the reaper she probably did in her mind.

Any situation that you could give Ruby, she would be the one that found optimism in it no matter how good or bad it was.

Blake was always amazed by how well adjusted she was for her age, and these stories helped prove that point. Because even though she might act like a "dolt" at times, she knew just how mature Ruby could be.

"Then… we have Beacon."

Blake thought that after discussing Signal, her story would end since her time here only just began. She was going to cut her off, however the cat faunus decided to let her continue.

"Professor Ozpin let me in after he saw me fight Torchwick in Vale. When I came, I was nervous people were going to treat me differently because of my age… I thought that they were going to think I was some special prodigy or something… But then I met everyone… Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, Jaune, Weiss… you… and you all made me feel so welcomed and appreciated, and I can't ever express how good that made me feel… It made me so happy to feel like I was accepted and surrounded by people who care for me!" Ruby exclaimed with a huge smile, looking back over at Blake.

"You were going to make friends here anyways Ruby...you have a personality meant for it. I'm just glad we were the ones that got to be your teammates and friends…" Blake said, a warm smile across her face.

Hearing those words made Ruby feel all warm and tingly inside, the smile that was plastered on her face now unable to fade away. That truly made her day, and the only way she could show her happiness was through another hug, this one more gentle than when she first entered.

"Thank you, Blake… I'm glad I'm your friend too…"

Blake didn't budge, fidget or move after being hugged. Instead, she just let it happen, enjoying the moment and holding her close by rubbing her back gently.

After a couple of minutes, she took out her scroll and checked the conversation had went on for about half an hour, and while it was great, she still had a test to study for.

"I think break time is over Ruby. You ready to get back to studying?" Blake questioned, still smiling gently as she continued to hold her close.

Ruby looked up toward her teammate and nodded her head happily.

"Yup! Now that I've rested, had my warm hug, and ate that super awesome tasty snack you brought me, I'm ready to get back to it! " She giggled, quickly getting up from the bed and sitting back down at the desk.

There was another chair next to Ruby's, which Blake sat down in and pulled closer so she could look at the material. When she was sitting right next to her, she felt the reaper's head laying gently against her arm.

When she felt this, Blake quickly looked over toward Ruby and saw what was happening, causing her smile to return once again. She adjusted her arm a bit to make Ruby more comfortable, and the two spent the rest of that day studying.

While Ruby might not have gotten the A she wanted, she could easily settle for a B. Her average didn't take too much of a hit, and she had Blake Belladonna to thank for helping her from letting it drop much lower than it could've...

 **LATER THAT WEEK**

It was now one in the morning, and while everyone in Beacon was asleep, a certain bull faunus was stirring around in a tent in the middle of the Emerald Forest, to the far east of Beacon Academy…

Staring at the back wall, a map of Vale hung, red circles and black lines decorating it, indicating that it had been tampered with and adjusted multiple times.

The person whose was looking at it was wearing all black, from the legs to the jacket.

However, the back of the jacket was decorated… In front of what seemed like a white background that wrapped around toward the front of the shoulder was a full, red, wilted rose…

Going further up, spiky red hair with traces of black on either side of the skull pointed upward and back, facing toward the entrance that was behind the man.

He was lost in thought, examining this map in silence and studying it carefully before a man dressed in typical White Fang grunt gear walked in through the front of the tent.

"General Taurus, the men are ready…"

Looking over his right shoulder and back toward the grunt, Adam placed his decorated mask on before responding.

"Good. We leave in five."

* * *

 **With that, Chapter 2 is done! I want to thank all of you readers for checking out Chapter 1! It got over 600 views and a ton of favorites, and for my first work here on FFN I couldn't be more thrilled! I've gotten so much positive feedback from all of you, and I was super excited to write up this chapter as well. Also, I want to thank Xera Stark for reading through this first and helping me fix a lot of my mistakes and learn from them. He's super awesome for that, and I can't thank him nearly enough. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you all in Chapter 3!**

 **All characters and places belong to RoosterTeeth.**


End file.
